


Stuck on Repeat

by misura



Category: New Blood (TV)
Genre: Drunken Confessions, Living Together, M/M, Protectiveness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-15
Updated: 2019-12-15
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:07:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21808675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misura/pseuds/misura
Summary: Stefan is nothing if not predictable. And stubborn. And very, very annoying. And also, apparently, the guy Rash has fallen in love with.
Relationships: Stefan Kowolski/Rash Sayyad
Comments: 2
Kudos: 31





	Stuck on Repeat

When Rash walked into the bedroom, Stefan was trying on a suit.

"Party," Stefan said, by way of explanation.

Rash would be willing to admit that it was a very nice suit. Stylish, too. Probably cost more than either of them made in a month, not that that was all that much.

"Typical," Rash said, trying not to sound bitter. "You got a job going undercover at some posh party. Me, I'm probably going to get a call just when I'm about to go to bed to come take a look at some dead body. Bet you it's going to be raining."

"Well, you could be getting a call from me," Stefan said with a grin not nearly as charming as he clearly thought it was. "To come and pick me up. You know. On account of being a bit drunk."

Rash gave him a look. "Forget it. I'm turning in early."

"Hey. You know what happened at the last party I went to," Stefan said. "Could be dangerous."

"Yeah. For me," Rash said. "So thanks, but no thanks. You want a ride, you can call a cab."

So Stefan went to his party and Rash went to bed, and then he got out again for a glass of water, and since he was up anyway, he went ahead and read the bits of the newspaper Stefan hadn't let him finish with over breakfast and then he didn't really feel sleepy anymore so he turned on the TV for a bit.

Stefan didn't call and neither did anyone else. It was nice, Rash told himself. Quiet, without Stefan around. He liked nice and quiet.

Besides, joking aside, parties were supposed to be fun. Not as if all of them were stuffed with people who wanted to spike people's drinks and see them end up dead. One time wasn't a pattern.

At worst, Stefan'd be dealing with some guy or girl trying to pick him up. Handsy drunks, that sort of thing. Pushy waiters. Maybe he'd get sick all over someone's shirt again.

Maybe someone _would_ try to kill him. Sure, one time wasn't a pattern, only the SFO - well, they mostly went after people with money, and people with money usually meant people with power. People who'd prefer not to lose that money just because they hadn't always been honest.

People who wouldn't think twice about something bad happening to someone like Stefan.

"Look, I'll be five minutes," Rash said.

The doorman did not look any more inclined to let him in than he had when Rash had first flashed his badge at him. "Sorry, sir. Your name's not on the list."

Rash considered making something up - a bomb threat maybe? They'd have to let him in if there might be a bomb, wouldn't they? Except there'd probably be trouble after, and all it'd take was one person overhearing him and then there'd be a panic.

"It's important," he said, and then, to prove his point, he opened up his wallet and pulled out a tenner. "Very important."

The doorman hesitated. "I could ask someone to take a message."

Rash noticed he'd stopped being a 'sir'. That was all right, though. "You could? Fantastic." It was, too. He'd ask Stefan to come to the door and take him home, and that'd be that. No murder attempts, no ruined shirts, no trouble. It'd be perfect.

Then, of course, he realized that he didn't know what name Stefan had used to get in here.

"Rash?" Stefan blinked at him like an owl. "Is that really you?"

Rash had waited for about three hours. The doorman had kept his money, adding insult to injury. Not that Rash had gotten injured as such, but it was the thought that counted.

"Nah," he said. "You're imagining things, mate. Probably because you're drunk."

"Ha! I knew it!" Stefan hugged him.

Rash supposed it was better to be hugged than to be vomited on. "Yeah. No problem."

"I love you," Stefan said. "Like, a lot. Like, a whole lot."

"Uh, thanks? I guess?" Drunk, Rash decided. Very, very drunk, and in no state to even be walking.

"You're s'posed to say you love me, too," Stefan said. His voice was a bit muffled on account of his having his face pressed against Rash's shoulder.

"I don't. Love you. And anyway, you're drunk," Rash added. "So let's just get you home, yeah?"

"Hm," said Stefan. "No. Nope. Gotta say it first. Fair's fair."

Rash pictured the chain of events if he were to stand firm. He'd dealt with drunks before, and he knew what Stefan was like sober. It would be a very long, very frustrating half hour of arguing, followed by another half hour of Stefan being stubborn, and then, if he was very, very lucky, Stefan'd pass out and Rash'd be able to take him home. It would've started raining by then, of course. And he'd discover that he'd forgotten his key. And Stefan'd throw up in the cab and get them kicked out halfway there.

"Fine," he said. "You win. I love you. There. Happy? Can we go now?"

Stefan went from hugging to snuggling. "Love you too."

"Are you falling asleep on me?" Rash asked. All evidence suggested that Stefan was, but. "Stefan?"

Rash woke up late and sore. He tried to comfort himself with the knowledge that Stefan had to feel a lot worse, which cheered him up a bit until he got to the kitchen.

"Good morning." Stefan beamed at him. He'd been fiddling with his phone when Rash came in, so maybe there'd been a break in a case or the like.

"How come you're not hung-over right now?" Rash demanded, helping himself to some juice.

Stefan shrugged. "I'm Polish."

"Uh-huh." Rash eyed the newspaper. "You done with that?"

"Help yourself," Stefan said, still beaming.

Had to have been a big break, Rash decided. Sports - well, Leila wouldn't like that. Might be nice to call her with an offer to buy her lunch by way of telling her 'sorry your team sucks so much'. 

"Rash," Stefan said, and then Rash heard himself say, "I love you," and he forgot what he'd been reading about and put down the newspaper.

"What - " he said, before he realized it was the wrong question.

Stefan grinned at him. "It's a recording. Of you. Last night."

"I know what it is," Rash said. "What are you doing with it? Why do you even have it?"

"Proof. Duh." Stefan moved his fingers and Rash said, "I love you," again.

"Stop that." Rash considered the many accidents that might befall a phone in a kitchen.

"I love you," said Rash on the recording. "I love you. I love you."

"You said it first," Rash said. "And anyway, it's not a big deal, is it?"

"Isn't it?" Stefan replied. ("I love you," said Rash.) "Got any proof I said anything at all? Because I've got proof you said something. Right here."

"You - " Rash said. He was very, deeply annoyed. Also, probably, in love with the most annoying person ever, so that made sense, really. Couldn't have the one without the other.

Stefan tsk'ed. "So, no proof? That's too bad. Tell you what though, you buy me dinner, and I'll delete this. It'll be like it was never even there. Poof. Gone."

"You mean buy you dinner like a date?" Rash asked. The idea - well, it might work. They were already living together, after all, and they hadn't ended up killing each other. "That's blackmail, that is. Is that how you want this to go? You blackmailing me into a date?"

"As someone who works for the SFO, I promise you that I would never blackmail anyone into doing anything," Stefan said. "Think of it more like a quid pro quo."

"Pretty sure dinner's going to set me back a lot more than a quid," Rash said.

Stefan grinned at him. "Probably, yeah. So, we got a deal?"

"You'll delete it right now, and no funny business?"

"Scout's honor," Stefan said. "There. See? It's gone."

"All right then," Rash said, figuring that fair was fair. "So where'd you want to go for dinner?"

(He discovered his mistake the next morning, woken up by the sound of his own voice.)

("I set it as my ringtone on my other phone," Stefan offered by way of explanation-that-wasn't-any-kind-of-justification-really. "You never said I couldn't.")

(Rash considered strangling him, but it'd be a lot of effort and they'd probably just end up having sex again, and then he'd be late for work. "All right, I'm going to get some breakfast. Oh, and I hate you. A lot.")

("Bring me back a glass of juice, will you?")


End file.
